For each book, respond to the question(s) in the discussion area and then respond to other students' responses. This is meant to be a discussion and should reflect your participation. This is part of your grade for each novel and will be added into the grade on the data sheets.
The Catcher in the Rye
1. Though Holden never describes his psychological breakdown directly, it becomes clear as the novel progresses that he is growing increasingly unstable. How does Salinger indicate this instability to the reader while protecting his narrator's reticence?
2. Think about Holden's vision of the nature of childhood and adulthood. Are the two realms as separate as Holden believes them to be? Where does he fit in?
3. The novel is structured around Holden's encounters and interactions with other people. Does any pattern seem to emerge, or does anything change in his interactions as the novel progresses? How do Holden's encounters with adults, children, women, and his peers evolve as the novel progresses?
The Chosen
1. How is silence utilized as a narrative technique?
2. Where are women in The Chosen? How do they play a part in the story? If they are absent, why do you think Potok excluded women's voices?
3. How does Potok weave together personal and political events in his novel? How do politics and world events contribute to the novel's plot and character development?
The Catcher in the Rye
1. Though Holden never describes his psychological breakdown directly, it becomes clear as the novel progresses that he is growing increasingly unstable. How does Salinger indicate this instability to the reader while protecting his narrator's reticence?
2. Think about Holden's vision of the nature of childhood and adulthood. Are the two realms as separate as Holden believes them to be? Where does he fit in?
3. The novel is structured around Holden's encounters and interactions with other people. Does any pattern seem to emerge, or does anything change in his interactions as the novel progresses? How do Holden's encounters with adults, children, women, and his peers evolve as the novel progresses?
The Chosen
1. How is silence utilized as a narrative technique?
2. Where are women in The Chosen? How do they play a part in the story? If they are absent, why do you think Potok excluded women's voices?
3. How does Potok weave together personal and political events in his novel? How do politics and world events contribute to the novel's plot and character development?